A brand new pastor took his first church, which consisted mostly of elderly folks. In four weeks he did eight funerals, so he didn’t have time to write his regular Sunday Sermons. Instead, he used the sermon from the Sunday before - 3 more times. The church council went to the head of the denomination and complained that this new pastor had used the same sermon 4 times in a row. The overseer asked them to give him a overview of the sermon they were referring to. The elderly Council couldn't remember, since most of them had slept through it, and they scratched their heads and hemmed and hawed - but they really couldn't remember. The overseer said, "Let him use it one more time, sounds like you haven’t got it yet."
Well, we’ve heard many sermons about the name of Jesus, but we need to hear it one more time……(can someone say “One more time”)
I’m titling my message today, “The Divine Mix” Today is reformation Sunday, when we celebrate the impact of Martin Luther on the world, as he presented the message of Salvation by grace in Jesus name, with the stamp of heaven upon his efforts…..The proclamation which he nailed to the Catholic Church Door is called “The Sola Gratia” or Salvation by grace alone…..It is a celebration of the difference one believer can make when they continue to walk in surrender and obedience to the Lord…..My text is from… Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. 2 I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers. 3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
You can see that the miracle which took place here was based on God mixing His name with the names of Abraham and Sarah, causing them to not only have new names but supernatural possibilities…..
He created a Divine mix, adding His name to theirs, He added the “H”… which is the breath of God… The same breath He breathed into Adam and Adam became a fully functional being, where before, he was just a form of a man which was made from dust. When He added the “H” of His breath into Abram and Sari, at 100 and 90, their bodies were dead the scripture tells us. But they became a fully functional man and woman, so that they were able to produce something that was not physically possible… Why can’t we believe that this same God, can breathe on His people today, through Holy Spirit unction, and allow them to do things still today that otherwise would just not be possible. Our God is not bound by the forces of nature, He created all that was created and it answers to Him, not the other way around.
When I am asked to do a dedication ceremony, and ask the parents, “What is the Christian name of this child?” I am not only asking, “Who is this child I am dedicating?” but also, “What do you want this child to become? What are your visions for this life?”.. “What are God’s plans for this eternal person, He has placed in your care?”
Don’t settle for an Ishmael When you don’t See the answer
Right away …..Abraham wasn’t so different from us, because he didn’t see it happen quick enough, he took matters in his own hands and did it his way instead of God’s way. He had a child by His hand maid, and named it Ishmael, (the counterfeit, the substitute, the compromise)… How many times have Christians settled for an Ishmael when God had an Isaac planned for them….They settled for less than the best God had for them. but the good news is that it’s never to late for redemption, if we are willing to repent, and Go God’s way and surrender to His plan… One preacher announced from the pulpit," I have good news and bad news. The good news is we are about to reach our entire city, every man, woman and child with the gospel of Jesus Christ. There was a thunderous applause. The preacher continued….The bad news is that the results are up to every man, woman and child in the church”. And the church was totally quite! Acts 11:26"the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch".
This divine mix, when God adds His name to ours, is a picture of the moment we receive the redeemed life of Christ and He adds His name to ours….and we are called “Christian”… I am now Charles “Christian”…. You are your name plus “Christian”….(take a moment and introduce yourself to someone by adding “Christian” after your first name…. (Hello, I am, ---------------- Christian!
When God mixes His name with ours, everything changes!!!Something new is created which is full of potential and loaded with possibilities! Numbers 6:22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 24 “‘The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. 27 In this manner, the priests will put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
God was telling the ministers, to remind the people of the potential they have and the possibilities that are theirs when Hisname is mixed with theirs!!!
The prophet Isaiah said, in Isaiah 62:2 "You shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall designate".
We have been given the name of redemption, the name of restoration, a name of deliverance, of second chances, of renewal, hope, a way where there is no way, an all things are possible identity, where miracles abound, and where the supernatural is now natural!!
When something is restored by God, it is always better than it was to begin with. God's promise to us is a better way, a better life, a better future for ourselves and our loved ones.
He still says to us who take His name…."The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." John 10:10. Every thief must bow to God’s higher law, fulfilled and enforced in Jesus Christ.
Back in the day when churches had wood burning stoves to heat the sanctuary, the pastor and his sons would bring in the fire wood for the stove. They discovered that one of the neighbors were stealing fire wood from the church wood pile. The father told his sons not to fetch the fire wood, that he would bring all the wood in for a while. One Sunday during the message, there was a terrible explosion next door to the church. The pastor had embedded dynamite in some of the wood. He informed his sons that it was safe for them to bring in the wood now!!! The preacher caught the thief and so did Jesus….. Jesus’ name is dyn-o-mite!!!
Read the story of Job, of Moses, of Jacob, of Joseph, and Paul, and the disciples of Jesus and marvel at God's miracles ofrestoration.
Psalm 71:20-21 declares, "Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again."
Child of God, listen to Joel 2:25-26 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. ... You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed" God is promising us a chance to break generational curses and to have generational blessings in their place through His name!!
WHOSE REPORT WILL YOU BELIEVE!!!! Will you believe your circumstances, or your history, or your fears, or your insecurities, or the report of the Lord…… Naming is a way of hoping and declaring forth. We name a child after someone or some quality that we hope he or she will become—a saint, a hero, an admired ancestor or friend. What greater goal could anyone have for their family, than to be able to call them “Christian”….
If you weren’t worthy, then why would God put His name on you. He puts His name on you because you are worthy through His name! It’s important how you identify. Do you identify from a purely human perspective or from the new name and identity you have in Christ.
Men can identify as women, Girls can identify as boys, I read that one woman identified as a couger….well, well! With all this identifying, we should raise the bar and identify as “Christian”…. Come on!
The Ancient Hebrew word for blessing is “Ber a kah” – and it means….. Anointed to win, Empowered to overcome, Blessed beyond the curse
It’s about His favor, wisdom, protection, abundance, ability, grace, joy, freedom, peace - all resting upon you in His name, inwhatever you put your hand to.
One Christian family decided to let their three-year-old son record the message for their home answering machine. Theyrehearsed it several times…..“Mommy and Daddy can’t come to the phone right now. If you’ll leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, they’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”So, he insisted they leave the room and the recording was made,
Then came the test. The father pressed the record button and their son had said sweetly, "Mommy and Daddy can’t come to the phone right now. If you’ll leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, they’ll get back to you as soon as Jesus comes.”
Well, God has a message for us in the here and now, before Jesus comes
There are definitely times of trials, testings and challenges - but with the blessing of the Lord upon us, we have strength, endurance, and favor….
We can declare the Name of the Lord and His truth and blessing and favor over ourselves today and every day. We need to keep on rehearsing it and do it until we get it right…Sometimes I do it with a little song, you may know it….. (I am blessed, I am blessed, every day of my life I am blessed. When I wake up in the morning, and I lay my head to rest, I am blessed, I am blessed)
Believe THAT instead of your fears, believe THAT instead of your worry, believe THAT instead of the news, or the tale bearers and nay sayers!
In the story of the Jewish Passover. The spirit of death was passing through the towns of Egypt and would kill every firstborn of every house...unless there was a substitute sacrifice of a pure lamb. The blood of the lamb on the doorpost would prove that death had already visited that house, so the spirit of death would pass over those who lived there.
The powerful thing about the story was that the spirit of death didn’t go inside the house to investigate what kind of people were in there. When he saw the blood of the lamb, he passed over. What does that mean for us?
It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’ve come from, or what you’ve done - if you’re covered by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, the enemy has to pass on by! If Jesus has qualified you! You are forgiven and washed clean. You are covered. You are now a blessing magnet!!!
Let me tell you something else, if this is true of you, then your name is known and recognized in high places…..
Matthew 10:32 “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven”.
Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" That means to each of us, that when He gives us His name, there is always a way, the truth is available in every situation of life… and we have access to the meaning and purpose of life because we have access to Him….
It’s important what we call ourselves……I have people who know me at many different levels. 4 people call me “Dad” (my 3 kids and Vickie) I have 8 that call me grandpa. Some call me “Pastor” and some call me “Chuck”, Some just say “Hey You”…. But the important name is what I call myself when I look in the mirror….
Even though Abram looked in the mirror and saw a 100 year old man who had no sons by his wife Sari who was barren at 90, he called himself “Abraham”…. It was more than a label, it was who he now was through God… It was who Sarah now was through God’s power.
So he began to call himself “fruitful”… “Father of many sons”…. “Healed and delivered”… “A new man”…. With new potential and new possibilities!
Whatever difficult place, whatever hard place, whatever challenging place you have found yourself in…. Jesus gets excited. He gets excited because He knows the power and authority of His name in all of our situations and circumstances…. And Abraham saw that power more than he saw the condition of his body or Sarah’s…..
Bam! Within 9 months, Isaac was born and Isaac brought forth Jacob, and Jacob had 12 sons who became the 12 tribes which were the nation of Israel… God did what He said He would do!
You see, I look in the mirror and I call that guy in the mirrorwhat God’s word calls him…..(the bible has 721 names that He calls us) for example…
Peacemaker, Faithful Steward, Soul winner, Seed sower, Doer of the word, Faithful one, Lover of God, Believer, Justified, Worshiper, Redeemed, King, The anointed, Salt of the earth, Priesthood, Friend of God, Light of the world, Joint-heir, His dwelling place, His treasure, Overcomer, His chosen, and on and on… 721 amazing names.!!! But it’s only possible when I allow His name to be mixed with mine….
Isaiah 43:1 “But now says the Lord, He who created you, He who formed you, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine”.
Why don’t you start right now today, speaking to the person in the mirror, the redeemed names God is calling you….
That’s why so often we end a statement or a prayer or confession with “In the name of Jesus”!!! We’re declaring the power of the Divine mix! Jesus, or “Yeshua” is interpreted from Hebrew as “Yahweh the Savior or Yahweh our deliverer.” It also means the “anointed one and His anointed”…. There it is, the Divine mix!!!!
In closing, I declare that same power, the power that is released in Jesus name over you today….. I declare that you are, Peacemaker, Faithful Steward, Soul winner, Seed sower, Doer of the word, Faithful one, Lover of God, Believer, Justified, Worshiper, Redeemed, King, The anointed, Salt of the earth, Priesthood, Friend of God, Light of the world, Joint-heir, His dwelling place, His treasure, Overcomer, His chosen, and on and on… 721 amazing names…… In and through the power of Jesus’ name!!!!
That name is the Chief Corner Stone, The Living Bread, The Sure Foundation we can build our lives upon. He is the Great Physician, The Lord of the Harvest, The Rock of Ages. The Pearl of Great Price. He is our Counselor, and heavenly attorney, The Light of the World. The Wisdom of God revealed to us. He is the Word of God, The Author and Finisher of Our Faith, The New and Living Way, The Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.
He is the Son of the Living God, our Savior, our Redeemer and our Lord.—What a beautiful name, what a powerful name, what a super natural, miraculous name it is!!! We do not take it lightly, or slightly, or as just another expression or explicative that we might utter with our mouth…. “Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven”….
Prayer, “Lord, I declare that there is no limit to your miracles. In your hands all things are possible. In the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I render possible every impossible situation in my life for the glory of God. Lord, I am believing for some things that only You can do. I am believing for a miracle. Lord Jesus, heal me, whatever You see in me that needs healing.
Heal me of anything that might separate me from you. Heal my memory, heal my heart, heal my emotions, heal my spirit, heal my body and heal my soul. I believe you have the miraculous power and strength to conquer the darkest enemy, break the strongest barrier, and silence the greatest deceiver. Your name is Worthy, Glorious, Almighty in power and I claim victory today in Your name.
I am waiting, and I am ready to receive my blessing and I receive my breakthrough in the name of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. I know You are aware of my situation and I now walk in your blessing and favor that is upon me. Lord, thank you for blessing me with wisdom and knowledge to do your will and to accomplish my divine purpose of creation. In Your name and for Your glory I pray these things, Amen!
Come on, take a moment and honor the name above all names, in heaven above and in earth beneath. Every knee must bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. It is the eternal name, which gives us an audience at the throne of Almighty God. Honor Him today, praise Him, exalt the name that brings salvation, healing, deliverance, and every good gift that comes down from the Father…..
